What RECOFTC does

RECOFTC (The Center for People and Forests) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. It develops capacities to empower local women and men in sustainable forest management across seven Asia-Pacific countries—Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Viet Nam—through country offices that have been operating in most locations since the 1990s–2000s. The organization operates a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach to community forestry, focusing on climate change mitigation and adaptation, governance and rights, gender equality, and economic benefits from forest landscapes.

Its core products and platforms include a portfolio of free e-learning courses (Community Forestry 101, Policy Analysis and Forest Governance 101, Agroforestry 101, Carbon Measurement and Monitoring, Low Emission Land Use Planning, Social and Environmental Soundness, Basic Climate Change, Inclusive Enterprises for Empowered Communities), the Social Forestry Knowledge Tree (an ASEAN-backed knowledge management system), the Model Forest Indicator Framework (MFIF) for landscape-scale sustainability monitoring, the Site Level Assessment on Governance and Equity (SAGE), a community-led monitoring digital infrastructure for forest-risk commodity supply chains (EUDR, FSC, RSPO traceability), and a Carbon Markets Toolkit launched in December 2025. Underlying technical capabilities center on landscape-based methodologies, gender equality and social inclusion frameworks, carbon market engagement, and governance frameworks for sustainable forest management.

Its business model is grant-funded institutional development work. Revenue streams comprise donor funding from government aid agencies and development cooperation bodies (primary), free training and learning services that build stakeholder capacity, and donations from individuals and organizations. Key donors include the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC, core donor since 1987 with renewal in 2012), the Government of Sweden (Sida, core donor since 2004), and the Royal Thai Government (founding member and charter signatory), with project funding from the European Union, World Bank, FAO, IUCN, WWF, US Forest Service, UNODC, and others. The organization reaches 366,000 people annually across 237,000 hectares of forest landscape and has trained 25,000+ practitioners from over 30 countries since inception. Pricing is entirely free of charge to end beneficiaries; RECOFTC operates under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 content license and holds an NGOsource U.S. public charity equivalency determination.

Name

RECOFTC

Legal name

RECOFTC - The Center for People and Forests

Website

https://recoftc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RECOFTC is an international nonprofit founded in 1987 that builds community-led forest management capacity across seven Asia-Pacific countries, serving Indigenous Peoples, local communities, government agencies, and practitioners via training, knowledge platforms, and donor-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Forestry Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF)

Keywords

• Community forestry
• Sustainable forest management
• Forest governance
• Capacity building services
• Climate change adaptation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangkok

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: RECOFTC is primarily funded through grants and donations from government aid agencies and development cooperation bodies. Key donors include the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Sweden (Sida), and the Royal Thai Government. These provide core funding and project-specific support for implementing the RECOFTC Strategic Plan 2023-2028.
2. Training and Learning Services: RECOFTC provides free e-learning courses and training programs to practitioners, government officials, students, and community members. While courses are free, they help build capacity that supports RECOFTC's mission and strengthens their engagement with stakeholders.
3. Donations: RECOFTC accepts donations from individuals and organizations through their website. US-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions via Myriad USA partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RECOFTC delivers capacity building, training, knowledge generation, and technical advisory services to strengthen community-led forest management and inclusive forest governance across the Asia-Pacific region. Its sellable offerings include a catalogue of free e-learning courses (Community Forestry 101, Policy Analysis and Forest Governance 101, Agroforestry 101, Carbon Measurement and Monitoring, etc.), the Social Forestry Knowledge Tree knowledge platform, training and learning programs, the Model Forest Indicator Framework, and the Carbon Markets Toolkit tailored for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Product overview

RECOFTC offers a portfolio of e-learning courses and knowledge platforms for community forestry practitioners. The core offerings include Community Forestry 101, Policy Analysis and Forest Governance 101, Agroforestry 101, Carbon Measurement and Monitoring, and the Social Forestry Knowledge Tree—a comprehensive decision-making resource. The organization also provides training programs, the Model Forest Indicator Framework for landscape monitoring, and the Carbon Markets Toolkit for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. These products serve national policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and local forest users across the Asia-Pacific region, with programs built around experiential learning and participatory processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RMFN-Asia: Regional Model Forest Network–Asia, a community of Model Forests that fosters learning, cooperation and exchange across Asia
• Community Forestry 101
• WAVES
• SEGA
• Explore
• Trees4All
• FLOURISH
• ASFCC
• Voices for Mekong Forests (V4MF)

Products and services

• Community Forestry 101 (e-learning course) Free e-learning course introducing community forestry as a pathway to solving social and environmental challenges, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. Covers concepts, models, principles, and challenges of community forestry. Certifies participants upon achieving 75% or higher in assessments.
• Policy Analysis and Forest Governance 101 (e-learning course) E-learning course covering policy analysis frameworks and forest governance principles for practitioners working in forestry and natural resources sectors.
• Agroforestry 101: Enhancing Livelihoods and Ecosystem Resilience (e-learning course) E-learning course teaching agroforestry practices for improving rural livelihoods while enhancing ecosystem resilience and environmental sustainability.
• Inclusive Enterprises for Empowered Communities (e-learning course) E-learning course focused on building inclusive community enterprises that ensure equitable benefit-sharing and sustainable natural resource management.
• Social and Environmental Soundness (e-learning course) E-learning course covering social and environmental assessment frameworks for sustainable development projects and programs.
• Basic Climate Change (e-learning course) Foundational e-learning course on climate change concepts, impacts, and adaptation strategies for forestry and natural resource practitioners.
• Carbon Measurement and Monitoring (e-learning course) E-learning course covering methodologies and tools for measuring and monitoring carbon stocks and fluxes in forest landscapes.
• Low Emission Land Use Planning (e-learning course) E-learning course on planning approaches to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from land use changes and forest management activities.
• Social Forestry Knowledge Tree Online knowledge platform providing decision-making resources for effective, efficient, and equitable social forestry. Compiles intelligence from the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry since 2005, with contextual building blocks covering local aspirations, rights and tenure, forest potentials, capacities and institutions, enabling policies, and external actors and markets.
• Community-led Monitoring Digital Infrastructure Mobile application and data management system enabling communities and cooperatives to collect, manage, and use monitoring data for supply chain compliance (EUDR, FSC, RSPO) and market access. Supports smallholder farmers in collecting data on soil cover, agrochemical use, intercrop composition, water management practices and plot boundaries.
• Training and Learning Programs Experiential and participatory training programs delivered by experienced trainers, including training programmes, study visits, facilitated learning events, and capacity development needs assessment. Reached over 25,000 people from 30+ countries since 1987.
• Model Forest Indicator Framework (MFIF) Framework enabling Model Forest groups to measure progress across four pillars: ecosystem health, governance, production, and human wellbeing. Includes core and optional indicators for landscape-scale sustainability monitoring.
• Carbon Markets Toolkit for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Rights-based practical toolkit with six globally applicable modules designed to help Indigenous Peoples and local communities engage effectively in carbon projects and markets. Covers participation, benefit-sharing, land tenure, grievance redress, and gender equality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 366,000 people reached through work in 2024-2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Royal Thai GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987The Royal Thai Government is one of the founding members of RECOFTC and a signatory to the RECOFTC Charter. RECOFTC collaborates closely with the Royal Forest Department, the Department of National Parks, and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource to strengthen the National Community Forestry Network. The Royal Thai Government contributes an annual budget to RECOFTC Thailand and hosts the organization.
• Kasetsart UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKasetsart University is represented on the RECOFTC Board of Trustees through Dean Prateep Duengkae of the Faculty of Forestry. The university contributes to RECOFTC Thailand through the Office of Higher Education Commission of the Ministry of Education.
• APRIL (Asia Pacific Resources International Limited)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRECOFTC is implementing a project with APRIL focused on developing partnership models on community forestry for a sustainable supply chain in Riau, Indonesia (June 2023 - June 2026).
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF supports the Greater Mekong Subregion Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Programme for Nam Poui National Protected Area in Lao PDR.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO partners with RECOFTC on multiple initiatives including forest fire management in Nepal and UN-REDD technical assistance. FAO developed the Farmer Field School approach that RECOFTC adapts for community monitoring.
• LandesamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandesa supports the community forest certification project in Myanmar aimed at strengthening community forestry practices and land tenure security (March 2023 - February 2025).
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIED partners with RECOFTC on the 'Change beyond supply chains' project developing sustainable business models in Myanmar and Viet Nam addressing environmental degradation through nature-positive approaches (March 2024 - February 2027).
• Wyss Academy for NaturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWyss Academy partners with RECOFTC on Trees4All Phase II in Thailand creating replicable models for forest restoration balancing conservation with improved livelihoods (June 2024 - May 2026).
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUCN supports RECOFTC's urban resilience building project in Chiang Rai and Surat Thani provinces, Thailand (August 2022 - October 2028).
• Department of Forestry, Lao PDRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRECOFTC Lao PDR operates from the Department of Forestry premises, collaborating closely on village forest management, gender equality in forestry, and fire management initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Solidaridad Network: Solidaridad is an international civil society organization working on sustainable supply chains across Asia, including smallholder forestry and commodity certification. Comparable to RECOFTC in its community-led monitoring work for forest-risk commodities and donor-funded capacity building model.
• Forest Peoples Programme: Forest Peoples Programme is a UK-based NGO supporting Indigenous Peoples' rights to forests, with strong Asia-Pacific projects (Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar). It directly overlaps RECOFTC's rights-based, community-led forest governance agenda and engages the same donor ecosystem.
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): IIED is a UK-based policy research NGO working on sustainable development, including co-implementation with RECOFTC on the 'Change beyond supply chains' project in Myanmar and Viet Nam. Comparable in its community forest enterprise and governance focus, with similar donor and academic network.
• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance operates globally on sustainable forestry certification and community livelihoods, with active Southeast Asia programs. It is comparable to RECOFTC in its community forestry and smallholder support approach, though it operates a commercial certification model rather than purely grant-funded.
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): FFI is a UK-based conservation NGO with strong Southeast Asia programs on community-based conservation and biodiversity. Comparable to RECOFTC in its community-led landscape management and rights-based approach, with similar donor partnerships.
• CIFOR-ICRAF: CIFOR-ICRAF is the leading global research organization on forestry and agroforestry, headquartered in Indonesia with deep Asia-Pacific presence. It is highly comparable to RECOFTC in its community forestry, capacity building, and landscape restoration focus, with overlapping donor base (EU, CGIAR) and similar convening role in ASEAN.
• Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR): Note: now merged with ICRAF as CIFOR-ICRAF; included separately for visibility of the research-only legacy. Publishes the closest peer-reviewed research to RECOFTC's evidence base on community forestry, climate change, and livelihoods in Asia-Pacific.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI operates major global forest programs (Global Forest Watch, Food and Land Use Coalition) and a longstanding Indonesia office. Comparable to RECOFTC in its focus on forest governance, tenure rights, and supply chain transparency, with substantially larger scale and corporate engagement.
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): WWF is a global conservation giant with active forest programs across all of RECOFTC's seven countries, including the Greater Mekong Subregion program. It is a major incumbent in the same space and a current partner of RECOFTC, with broader geographic mandate and significantly larger budget.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): IUCN is a global conservation union with active Asia-Pacific forest and protected area programs. It is a current RECOFTC partner (urban resilience, Thailand) and broader-scale peer with similar rights-based, governance-focused approach to biodiversity landscapes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RECOFTCCambodia
• Xx.com/RECOFTC

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles28 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RECOFTC